


the course not charted

by misstaken



Category: Final Fantasy VI
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Past Relationship(s), Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, World of Ruin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 16:24:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7445896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misstaken/pseuds/misstaken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes the path we belong on isn't the one that's drawn on our maps. </p>
<p>Set post-game, all applicable spoiler warnings apply.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the course not charted

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or original work, I'm just having fun in their universe.
> 
> Note: story includes a very brief, non-graphic reference to non-consensual activity.

Peals of laughter rang out into the night air. The voices belonged to children and adults alike, all enjoying a night of revelry in honor of the rebirth of Figaro, the reuniting of its twin princes, and more than anything, the celebration of these as good omens for rebuilding the land.

Celes was not amongst the partying masses that were gathered under tents, however; she preferred the quiet vantage point that she had from one of the castle’s guest towers. True to its form as a desert fortress, the windows kept the heat manageable in the daytime and in the evening allowed a cool breeze to flow into the stone structure. Celes leaned against her arms, resting them on the ledge, and breathed a soft sigh into the night.

Nearly a year had passed since Kefka's defeat. Celes couldn’t remember a time in her life when she had felt as peaceful as she did at present, which was a blessing and a curse as her mind never failed to wander when there was nothing else to distract her. Her friends comrades were gathered below with the denizens of Figaro and the surrounding territories, save for Edgar, who was standing at the center tower, watching over his kingdom below. Sabin was amongst the others, Relm sitting on his shoulders and Gau trying to climb up his leg in an attempt to steal the food out of his hands. Sabin laughed powerfully, and Cyan called to the green-haired boy, his words lost in the music and the night breeze, but Celes knew a good-natured scolding when she saw one.

She scanned the crowd for Terra, and saw her beneath a small cluster of palm trees with her brood. Setzer had crossed the ocean to Mobliz that morning to bring everyone to Figaro, agreeing that it would be good for Terra and the children to attend the day’s festivities. The ones still awake were gathered around Terra and Katarin, whose head rested on her husband’s shoulder, their newborn son cradled in his arm, and their daughter asleep in Locke’s arms. One of the children brought Terra a shiny stone that he had found in the sand, and her face lit up with delight as she accepted the gift. Locke’s gentle expression was unwavering as he watched Terra, shifting the sleeping infant against his shoulder and reaching for his drink.

If only Kefka could see how the world thrived without magic, without war, without the fear of destruction, she thought to herself. She sometimes couldn’t believe it herself.

The door creaked opened behind her, bringing Celes back to her immediate surroundings. “Who's there?"

"Just a fellow anti-socialite,” Setzer closed the door behind him and crossed the bedroom to the window. He eyed the blanket wrapped around Celes’s shoulders. “It’s cold out there at night, isn’t it?”

“I’ll get used to it eventually,” she replied with a telltale shiver, and Setzer shrugged his heavy overcoat from his back, draping the heavy garment over her body. He knew all about protection from the elements; Celes on the other hand was always cold now that she didn't have Shiva’s powers to shield her. 

“Aren’t you going to be cold?” Celes asked, folding the blanket over the back of the chair. She poked her bare arms through the sleeves and immediately appreciated the warmth of the fabric, augmented by Setzer’s remnant heat.

“If that happens, we’ll just have to warm each other up,” he replied with a grin. “It looks good on you. I like seeing you wear it, anyway. One of these days we’ll have to have one made for you…” He trailed off and turned towards the window, placing his hands on the ledge where Celes's were a moment before. 

As if on cue, another breeze blew through the window and Celes hugged Setzer’s coat around her, burying her nose and chin into the high lapels. It smelled of wool and tobacco and a hint of spice - a scent that had replaced smoke and metal and the acidic tang of magic as comfort. Speaking of things she couldn’t believe herself…

“What are you doing up here?” Setzer asked, “I’m surprised you're not down there with everyone else. There’s still plenty to eat and drink. Edgar throws quite a party when he puts his mind to it.”

“He has a lot to be thankful for,” Celes said, “We all do. There were moments...I thought I was never going to see any of you again. I think just the fact that we're all here is cause for celebration.”

“Which gives even more reason to ask what you’re doing up here, instead of amongst the festivities?” Setzer sat down next to Celes. “I thought I was the mysterious loner, not you.”

“The sun was too strong,” she responded, and somehow she knew that Setzer didn't believe a word she was saying. Thankfully, he didn't press the issue further. “Thank you for bringing Terra and her children today.”

“It seemed like the right thing to do.” Setzer reached in the pocket of his slim trousers and produced a pair of dice, rolling them together in the palm of his hand. “I didn’t expect Locke to be there, though. Made my job easier, so I couldn't complain. Herding kids isn't my forte.”

Celes smiled wistfully. “He’s happy there, it seems.” She scooted her chair back to the window edge, looking down again. She hoped to catch Locke’s eye but realized that even if he was looking in her direction, the bright moonlight probably prevented him from seeing more than her silhouette in the window.

“Are you happy?”

She turned her eyes upwards at him. “Me?” 

“Yes, you. Simple question really.” Setzer abruptly tossed the dice to her, and Celes snapped them from mid-air. Two white dots stared back at her from within her open palm, and she looked into them instead of the man focused so intently on her.

~ ~ ~

About six months ago, Setzer had been spending a week at Figaro Castle, part of a standing date that he had with Edgar’s workshop. He had come for the tools at first. Setzer had preferred the solitary life since Darill’s death, but the young king and he had build a certain level of camaraderie in the process of saving the world, so the companionship became as much of a draw as the fully stocked engineering lab. 

Initially, his trips to Figaro were the only times that he saw Celes. It was to be expected - after everyone went their separate ways, she and Locke had taken up residence together at his old house in Kohlingen. Setzer had no similar ties to the ground, so after a month or so at Figaro working with Edgar on repairs and refurbishments to the Falcon, he took to the skies, exploring the new face of the world he had come to know during its ruin. 

Setzer thought of stopping to see her at Kohlingen once or twice, but he always reconsidered. Celes was with the man she loved, he reasoned - while there had been a moment or two before they had found Locke that she had seemed interested in him more than professionally, her distant gaze whenever he talked about finding their friends was reason enough to keep his feelings for her to himself. He had fallen for women like her before - Darill, with her sharp mind and wit and fearless devotion to exploration, and Maria, perhaps only for her looks, but what looks they were! - and the odds weren’t ever favorable for the man who made a move on a woman in love with someone else. So he considered it a turn of good luck when he started to run into Celes more frequently, first at Figaro and then at Nikeah, in one of the pubs that he frequented. He didn’t initially consider it more than a coincidence - after all, there weren't all that many places she could go without a flying ship of her own.

On the third day that he was at Figaro, a carrier pigeon arrived at the castle. Most royal correspondence came through more official means - the odd pigeon generally was reserved for one of the princes’ admirers. Setzer chuckled as Edgar unwrapped the message from around the bird’s leg.

“Is it from that woman in Jidoor again? The one who sends you the almost-nudes with her carefully positioned cats?”

“If it is, you can have it for your collection,” Edgar snorted. “I’m allergic to cats anyway, it would never work out.” He unrolled the message and raised a blonde eyebrow. “This one's for you.”

“I’ll pass,” Setzer waved his hand and turned back towards the engine part that he was working on. “I can find my own crazy, I don’t need yours.”

Edgar rolled the message up and set it on the workbench “No, I mean it’s addressed to you. I didn’t realize you were getting your mail here, too. Do I need to start charging rent?”

“Very funny,” Setzer took the message, opening it to find Celes’s handwriting inside.

GOOD DAY SETZER,

I HOPE THIS MESSAGE FINDS YOU WELL. I REGRET THAT IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE LAST EXCHANGED MORE THAN FAMILIARITIES. I WAS HOPING YOU WOULD HAVE A FREE MOMENT DURING YOUR STAY AT FIGARO TO MEET ME AT THE NIGHTINGALE PUB IN NIKEAH? I HAVE AN IMPORTANT MATTER TO DISCUSS WITH YOU.

YOURS,

CELES CHERE

He had endured Edgar’s speculation and ribbing for the rest of the day and that night, set out to meet Celes at the bar. Two drinks in, she looked at him, her blue eyes brimming with resolve (and were those tears? he asked himself later) and asked Setzer if she could accompany him when he left Figaro at the end of the week.

~ ~ ~

Celes handed the dice back to Setzer and placed her hand over her lover’s, lacing her long fingers in between his. “I’m enjoying myself,” she replied. “I’ve never been one to stay in a single place for very long. Once I became a general, I became accustomed to traveling fairly often.” She knew very well that she was avoiding his question, but she should have known that Setzer wouldn't accept a vague answer when he was clearly looking for something more. She searched for even the smallest facial expression that would betray his intent, but Setzer’s well-trained poker face wasn’t going to give anything away.

“When you sent me that message six months ago you weren’t happy,” Setzer squeezed his fingers around her hand and stroked his thumb along the side of her palm. “I don’t know what you are now. If it’s not happy, I hope it’s better than where you were back then.”

Celes smiled at him. “Like I said. I’m enjoying myself. I’m happy that you responded to my message that night. I’ve seen the world in new ways, and I think you and I have come to a very pleasant understanding.” She trailed her fingers up his arm to his shoulder, and placed her cool palm on his cheek, pressing her fingertips to his cheekbone and drawing his face to hers for a kiss.

It took most of his willpower - which wasn't strong to begin with, especially concerning her - to stop himself from taking her by the coat lapels and pulling her into his lap. “Unless you're freezing to death and this is your way of telling me so, I think you’re attempting to dodge my question.”

Celes tipped her head to the side. “You really just want to talk? You never just come to talk.”

“Guilty as charged - usually I prefer to come first and talk afterwards,” he quipped, and Celes rolled her eyes and shook her head. He sat back in his chair and rolled the dice over in his hand again. “Why did you reach out to me?”

“Why you, or why did I reach out?”

“I’d love an answer to both. You didn't seem like yourself that night in the bar. At the time, I agreed because my gentleman side realized you needed help, and the less noble part of me thought there might be a chance that you were looking for some kind of rebound.” Setzer began laying his proverbial cards on the table, knowing that as he started to show his hand, she would reciprocate in kind. “You knew that I found you ravishing, and unlike Edgar with his kingdom or Terra with her children, I had no strings attached.” 

Celes sighed and brought her closed fist to her lips. “None of that is incorrect,” she said quietly, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping Setzer’s long coat around her legs. “You weren't just a way out, though.”

Setzer stood up abruptly and walked to the other side of the room by the washbasin. “In the left interior pocket of my coat is a flask,” he said to Celes, bringing back two small glasses and taking his seat next to her again. “I’m not having this conversation without a little help, and neither are you.”

Celes grinned. “I am a little too sober to pour my heart out.” She accepted the half-filled glass he offered, and clinked it against his before taking a sip. The warm burn of the liquor caused a rush of heat through her body, and she reminded herself not to drink too much of this particular concoction quickly - Setzer was much better practiced than she, despite the fact that she could drink a general or three under the table not so long ago.

“Back to the topic at hand. While I would have been satisfied to ravish each other for a month or so and then move on with our lives if that was your intent, that wasn’t the case, obviously.” Which was a boldfaced lie if he ever told one - Celes had his interest well before she ever took him to bed that first night, and with every moment they shared after that, it became harder to imagine returning to life without her.

“I’m assuming you want to know what happened with Locke.”

“If it has to do with why you're here now, then yes. To be perfectly honest, Celes, I haven’t felt this way about a woman for quite some time. I’m all about taking risks, but I'm not going to play if I have no chance at all to win.” 

Celes closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she turned towards the window, where the voices and music were drawing quieter as the moons rose towards their apex in the sky. “Did you and Darill ever talk about children? Your own, I mean?”

Setzer rubbed his fingers across the scar on his head almost unconsciously. “I suppose if the right moment presented itself, we would have dealt with it then,” he said, “Darill was an inventor and an explorer first and foremost. We were both young, and we literally had the world at our fingertips. We could fly.” His gaze followed hers out into the night sky. “I can't say we would never have considered it, but we hadn't even talked about marriage before the...accident.” 

His expression clouded and he took another sip of his drink. Celes took a rough swallow of hers and examined the white leather edges of Setzer's overcoat, running her fingers over the transition from wool to leather, rough to smooth. “I’m sorry,” she said finally. “This wasn't supposed to be about her.”

“Don't be,” Setzer took her hand. “You can't play blackjack without showing a few of your own cards.”

“You and your gambling analogies, I swear… Anyway, after we went our separate ways, you know that Locke and I went back to Kohlingen, to the house that he still had there. Locke was a little worried that they wouldn't accept him, but saving the world from annihilation buys you a lot of brownie points, I guess. We set the house up for ourselves, and began to build a life together. I think both Locke and I were working so hard to make a normal life that it took a while for me to realize that what most people considered normal wasn’t right for me.” She turned back to Setzer, and her eyes searched his for approval to continue.

Setzer nodded. “It was a little more domestic than I'd expected, but who am I to judge anyone’s path? I didn't know either of you terribly well outside of brothers-in-arms, and I assumed it was what you had always wanted, underneath all your military trappings.”

“I thought it was,” she nodded, “Or more accurately…I thought it was the way to move on, to rebuild, to start over again. It was the complete opposite of everything I had known since I was a child. I don't really remember my parents, and I never had siblings or a family...Grandpa Cid was the closest thing, and even he’s gone now.” Her voice caught slightly in her throat at the memory. “And I loved Locke, and he loved me, and I think I do still love him, in a way,” Celes drained the last of the drink in her glass and glanced at Setzer. If he had any feelings about that statement, he didn't betray them with a reaction. “After a couple of months, Locke started going out on the road, treasure-hunting in the newly uncovered ruins. He spent a lot of time at the cultists’ tower, and sometimes I joined him on those journeys. We often stopped to see Terra and the children when we were on the Serpent Island, and after a few of those visits, I began to see how much joy they brought to him.” 

Setzer took the flask from the table and refilled Celes’s cup, before replenishing his own drink. His memory flashed back to the moment when she had met his gaze over her wine glass in Nikeah. “He wanted to have children.”

Celes nodded. “Locke never came out and said it, but he kept alluding to the idea, and when he did, he was excited and hopeful in a way that he hadn't been in a very long time.”

“So marriage and children aren't long-term plans of yours, is that what you’re saying?”

“It’s not exactly that…” She sighed deeply, rising from her chair by the window and crossed the room to the bed. “I can’t have children,” Celes finally said, her tone somber as if she was admitting defeat. She sat down on top of the quilt, arms folded protectively over her chest.

Setzer raised an eyebrow. “I see.” He pressed his fingertips together, taking his glass in hand and joining Celes on the edge of the bed. He took her glass from her and set both on the nightstand before enclosing her in an embrace. Celes leaned her head on his shoulder and Setzer carded his fingers through her blonde hair, softly stroking down the top of her spine and along her shoulder blades. “Thank you for telling me,” he murmured. “Do you mind if I ask...how you know?”

He felt her exhale through the thin fabric of his shirt. “The magic infusion process didn't work for everyone, and for those of us who were able to accept the transfer, it was physically very difficult to endure. There was also the matter of the espers - they were limited resources. Cid once told me that you could only yield two or three magic users from every Esper. So they began to explore alternate ways of creating magic users.”

Setzer drew a sharp breath, his arms tightening around Celes. His hands moved to her shoulders, separating their bodies so he could look down into her eyes. “Don’t tell me they-”

“No, thankfully,” Celes emphatically shook her head from side to side. “It was a medical procedure. I’ll spare you the details, it’s not something I like thinking about, and I’ll probably never be truly comfortable with needles again. At first I didn’t know what they were doing, but I found some log books in Cid’s laboratory, and it turns out they discovered one of the side effects of the infusion process was infertility.” She folded her arms over her chest and turned away from Setzer. “I’m sure that was part of the reason they were so interested in Terra's potential, since she was born with magic instead of infused with it later in life.”

“It's my turn to say that I’m sorry,” Setzer said, pushing his hair back from his face with both hands. 

“Don’t be sorry,” Celes replied. “To use your terms, it's the hand I’ve been dealt.”

“Now that magic is gone -”

“Just because I can feel cold again doesn't mean that the physical damage has been undone. The scars I have aren't gone. I took a risk and lost something permanently, and this will always be there as a reminder.”

“Point taken.” They both knew this situation far too well.

Celes reached across Setzer and took her drink from the nightstand, downing half the glass in one swallow. “Anyway, after I found out - I think I was fifteen - I didn't really expect a normal life with marriage and children, even if I was to someday retire from the military. So I committed myself to becoming the best general that Emperor Gestahl had ever seen - and you saw how well that turned out.” She shook her head, feeling the effects of memories she had hoped to never revisit. Celes swallowed, blinking a couple of times to keep her emotions at bay. “I couldn't create life...so I destroyed it instead…”

Setzer grasped Celes’s wrist and brought her fingertips to his lips. “It was the life you knew,” he said, “and you can’t go back and do anything differently. You know how many times I told myself that I should have gone with Darill that day? That any number of things could have happened, but no matter what, I wouldn't have to go on without her? That’s a miserable way to live, and you know it.”

Celes breathed deeply. “Yes, I know,” she said, steadying her voice. “I know Locke wants a family, a wife, kids of his own. He needs to protect and care for the people he loves. It’s what he was looking for with me - but it’s not something I can be. I’m not happy settling down in one place, and I can’t give him the children that he wants. When I told him, he was optimistic as usual - everything would be fine, we would find a solution, the way we always have - but he was clearly disappointed. I guess it’s ultimately what happens when you meet each other when the world is on the verge of destruction, and you find out a little too late that you were too busy saving the planet to actually get to know each other.”

Setzer nodded and pulled her into an embrace. “So you can’t have children. You’re strong and smart and fearless and absolutely gorgeous, and while that would probably qualify you to be a good parent, it also qualifies you to be an excellent traveler, lover, and warrior - which hasn't changed since we finished saving the planet. And you don't have to be able to become pregnant to be any of those."

Celes smiled. “Thank you. I could say the same about you, although I can’t say your penchant for vice is a strong fatherly quality.”

“Well, I guess it's good that amongst all the things we’re going to do together, child-rearing is not one of them.” He chuckled and leaned back across the bed, his silver hair spreading across the comforter. 

She crawled along the mattress next to him, propping herself up on one elbow, her blonde locks forming a curtain around her pale face. “So what are some of the things we’re going to do together?” Her mouth curled into a grin. “Other than the obvious, that is.”

Setzer chuckled, his fingertips drawing a lazy path along her throat, down her breastbone, tracing along the top of her bodice and dipping into her cleavage. “I don't know, darling. The sky’s not even the limit. We can chart any course we like. Maybe we should go to space. I bet Edgar and I could figure that out with enough time.”

Celes dropped down from her elbow and swung her knee over Setzer, one hand on each side of his head and her lips cutting off any other words he might have said. His lips moved against hers, kissing her with a fiery will. She loved this competition, rising to his challenge, her teeth gently tugging on his lower lip until his pale face was flushed and she was far too warm to be wearing a heavy wool coat any longer. Celes straddled Setzer’s waist, wet kisses making a path down the column of his throat to the hollow of his collarbone. She knew he could feel how hot she was against his belly. His fingertips danced along her back, tugging at the laces on her top, wanting to feel the soft skin underneath. She pulled away for a moment but didn't take her hands off of his chest, feeling his heart pounding through the thin material of his shirt. Setzer gazed up at Celes with equal parts lust and reverence, watching her small breasts rise and fall with her breath, her reddened lips parted slightly.

“Setzer,” she breathed, “do you think Edgar would be upset if we corrupted his guest quarters?”

Setzer laughed sharply, shaking his head as he rolled over, knocking Celes from her power position and pulling her body flush against his. “He once told me about “house rules” which I believe dictate that no corruption takes place at Figaro Castle unless a Figaro is involved.” 

Celes considered the possibilities inherent in that statement and nodded decisively, “I think we can work within those boundaries.” She cupped the back of Setzer’s neck in her hand and kissed him gently before wriggling from his grasp. “We should probably check in with the others, though, before someone sends out a search party.” 

Setzer sighed dramatically, allowing Celes to pull him to his feet. She offered his coat back to him. “Sure you don't still need it?”

“Nope,” Celes grinned at him. “You're too good at warming me up.” She led Setzer down the stairs, out into the night, towards their awaiting friends. Before they rejoined the group, Setzer pulled Celes aside and murmured in her ear.

“I’m insanely curious what you meant by ‘working within those boundaries’, my dear.”

“Well,” Celes slid her arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder, “I guess you'll just have to stay with me until you find out.”

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo... I finished FFVI about 6 months ago then hit up AO3 and discovered runicmagitek's Celes/Setzer works. It didn't take long before I was entirely sold on the pairing but my shipper brain needed a reason why the whole Celes/Locke thing didn't work out. This idea spawned, then wouldn't get out of my head and I ended up spending the better part of a 4 hour flight writing my first fic in a decade :)


End file.
